If you use Excel often to compile and analyze data, pivot tables can be a great tool to add to your repertoire. Many Excel users are intimidated by pivot tables, but with a little practice, they can be easy to use and will give you powerful reporting capabilities. At its simplest, a pivot table is simply a report that sorts and groups raw data into a more usable format. Let’s walk through the steps of creating a pivot table using a simple spreadsheet of data.
Step 1: Enter Raw Data – First, you’ll need some data to use in your pivot table. In this example, we’ll look at sales numbers for a chain of sporting goods stores. Here is the … [Read more...]

The information contained in your spreadsheet might be very valuable and useful, but it can be confusing to your audience. All those numbers, and all those facts and figures can be daunting, especially for users who do not come from a financial or a technical background.
One of the best ways to overcome this problem and give your audience the information it needs is by adding charts and graphs to your Excel spreadsheets. When you graph the financial data you have created, you make it accessible to a far wider group of people, allowing you to share that vital information with everyone at the office.
To create a chart in … [Read more...]

While Microsoft Excel may not exactly have a reputation as the sexiest computer application in the PC world, it is a useful one. And since chances are good you’ll need to use it over the course of your scholarly, business or personal life, having a few tips and tricks up your sleeve is a good plan.
Jump to a Cell
To the left of the formula bar, you’ll find a cell listing that changes to show you exactly which row and cell you’re working in. By clicking on this area, you can type in a specific column number and row name to jump directly to that cell.
Fix Hinky Numbers
Occasionally, Excel will erroneously store certain … [Read more...]

Spreadsheets are quite versatile, and they can be used for everything from creating a household inventory for insurance purposes to building a comprehensive budget for a Fortune 500 company. Spreadsheets can also be used to create daily, weekly, monthly and yearly calendars for both home users and office workers. All you need to create a custom calendar is a spreadsheet program and a good calendar template.
To create your custom calendar using Microsoft Excel, just follow these simple steps:
Log on to your computer and open your spreadsheet program. Create a new spreadsheet and save it to your hard drive or network share. … [Read more...]

Some Excel spreadsheets end up looking polished and professional, while others look sloppy and unfinished. If you’re having trouble making your spreadsheets look their best, read on for some easy tips that will provide finishing touches for your data.
Clean up the column names – Make sure your column names describe the data in the field and are capitalized appropriately. Columns names like “first_name” or “cogs” are not as easy to read as “First Name” and “Cost of Goods Sold”.
Bold the headers – Column headers will be easier to read if they’re bold. This helps them catch the user’s eye and stand out from the data below.
Freeze … [Read more...]